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Stella Parton says her sister Dolly Parton She was “definitely prepared” and at peace when she died late last month fighting cancer.
“I know she was at peace,” Stella Parton told “CBS Mornings” co-host Gayle King in an exclusive interview.
“I could always tell by looking at her face, even if I hadn’t seen her in months. On camera, I could tell if she was hurt, angry, happy or sad, or feeling bad. I could see it,” said Stella Parton.
There are still fans mourning the death of Dolly – country music superstar, businessman, philanthropist and visionary.
But for Stella Parton, the larger-than-life legend was just an older sister she spoke to on the phone every Tuesday morning over coffee.
“She knew where she was going,” Stella Parton said of how her sister felt before her death. “She wasn’t going bad at all. She was going to be with Mum and Dad.”
Stella Parton sat down with King at RCA Studio A, a music recording studio in Nashville where Dolly Parton recorded some of her most memorable songs. She recalled that she was just 7 years old when her sister, who was 10 at the time, began her career in TV and music, becoming “like a bird that just flew.”
The girl raised in poverty in rural Tennessee rose to stardom.
Throughout her life, Dolly Parton was married to Carl Thomas Dean. he is died last yearin March, after nearly 60 years of marriage.
Stella Parton said that Carl was “quiet and shy,” and that he “adored” Dolly.
“He was fascinated by her. He thought she was funny as Tinker Bell, you know?” she said.
They had a sweet, private romance, according to Stella Parton. And while he was proud of her and “loved her enough to let her be who she was,” he would have preferred things to be different in some ways, she suggested.
“He’d rather be at home with her hair up in a ponytail and barefoot, cooking in the kitchen and just, you know, messin’ around the house. That, I think, is what he preferred,” Stella Parton said.
She said Dolly Parton was “very sad” after Carl died but she doesn’t think that was the reason her sister fell ill.
“I know that their relationship was very special and very deep and faithful. And I think it broke his heart to see him in the form that he got, you know, before he died,” she said. “But I don’t think that’s what made her sick. I think my sister worked so hard for so long and she kept going. You know, even until the last conversation I had with her, she was working. That was her passion.”
Stella Parton said her sister was “a good businesswoman,” which is why she kept her political views private.
“She had an opinion on things but she never shared that,” Stella Parton said.
The star was also consistent in maintaining her iconic image – even in private.
Stella Parton said she never saw her sister without makeup “after she became Dolly Parton”.
“She would sleep in her makeup when she would spend the night with me,” said Stella Parton.
While the public has seen an outpouring of support since her death, Stella Parton said she has not personally heard from anyone in Nashville.
“I didn’t get a single sympathy from anyone, anyone I know, entertainers I know. No one,” she said.
“I assume it might be because of my political activity, you know, on social media. I don’t know,” she said.
Stella Parton said when it comes to her sister, It is her hope that she will miss the most, “because she was the most optimistic person I have ever known.” And she wants her sister to be remembered as sweet, kind, loving, talented and brilliant.
“Her creativity knew no bounds, you know? And she could dream bigger than anyone,” Stella Parton said. “And I want young people, young people – young girls and boys who might think they don’t have a chance to dream, coming from our situation; she gave us permission to dream like that.”
